Warp knitted Jacquard patterned fabrics as known in the art are generally produced by interlacing continuous filament synthetic yams into a series of interlocking loops. The loops may form a design comprised of underlap floats on the technical back of the fabric. A bright, translucent synthetic yarn may be used, and in particular a monofilament yarn having a generally triangular "prism-like" cross-section. This yarn partially reflects light striking the fabric, giving the fabric an iridescent "glossie" appearance, particularly if the underlying ground yarns directly beneath this face effect yarn are of a different and contrasting color.
While creating an attractive design, the translucent yam typically requires a relatively thick cross section to produce the desired appearance. The thickness of the yarn has a relatively coarse feel. Accordingly, the translucent yarn creates a fabric that is harsh to the touch on the technical face as well as the technical back, making the fabric uncomfortable to wear next to the skin. While improvements to such fabrics have been attempted, for example decreasing the cross section area of the translucent yarn or replacing the monofilament yarn with a multifilament yarn, none of these modifications provides a fabric that retains the desired appearance, yet is soft to the touch on the technical face.